Grange Applauded by Mayor, Assemblyman

A group of people who resurrected an 80-year-old institution earned accolades from local elected officials at Tuesday's Watsonville City Council meeting.

, at Elkhorn and Werner roads in Las Lomas, was on the verge of extinction last summer when Alan Hicks and company began an effort to save the building and the community it represents.

The grange now boasts 65 members and is planning its first big community event: a pancake breakfast on Feb. 18.

"I'm a Granger," .

State Assemblyman Luis Alejo also made a personal appearance to present the Springfield Grange with a proclamation and state Grange President Bob McFarland made the trip from Roseville to watch the country's fastest-growing grange be honored.

The national Grange was established in 1867, at the end of the Civil War, to advocate for agriculture and farming interests, as well as serve as a community center. Today, there are 2,700 granges.

Montesino, who grew up in Santa Cruz and Live Oak, said he remembers going to Live Oak grange events as a child.

“It’s just a great place for the community to gather," Montesino said.

The Springfield Grange was founded in 1933 during a meeting in the auditorium of what is now Pajaro Middle School. The white clapboard building that is the Grange was built in 1952. That building was about to be sold off when Hicks stepped in to revitalize the organization.

“That grange struggled for many, many years," McFarland said.

The Grange members hope to establish a farmstand where small farmers can sell their crops and put on community events, such as that pancake breakfast.

“We hope that it continues for many more years," Alejo said.

Hicks said they also want to support local farming families and mentioned encouraging youth to go onto college, perhaps using the Dream Act. The legislation, approved in October, allows U.S. residents who are not citizens to be eligible for financial aid and in-state tutition.

“We want to learn from each other, learn from each others cultures and celebrate each others cultures," Hicks said.

To get more information about the Grange, email springfieldgrange@yahoo.com or follow the Grange on Facebook. People as young as 13 can become Grangers as voting members.